The room fell into a deafening silence.
No one had expected Julia to deliver such a precise, ruthless critique.
Julia turned her gaze to Lily, who had gone visibly pale.
"What?" Julia asked lightly. "Cat got your tongue?"
Lily snapped out of her daze and looked around the room, as though seeking reassurance from the others. Their faces mirrored her own confusion.
"You deceived me!" Lily suddenly shouted, her voice shaking with anger.
"How?" Julia asked, tilting her head. She wore an innocent expression, but her eyes gleamed with mockery.
"I don't recall ever asking you to underestimate me."
"You did!" Lily retorted. She was certain of it. Julia hadn't read the document—she had barely skimmed it. There was no way she could have summarized and dissected it so cleanly unless she had prior access.
Unless…
Lily's gaze drifted toward James, who stood quietly behind Julia—low-key, yet impossible to ignore.
Ever since he appeared, Julia has changed, Lily realized grimly.
"Cousin," Julia drawled suddenly, lips curling. "Have you perhaps taken a fancy to my PA?"
Lily flushed instantly.
"Ahem!" She coughed awkwardly. "I was merely wondering if this young man is the one responsible for your… performance. After all, you didn't properly read the document."
With every word, Lily grew more confident. Yes. That must be it.
Murmurs erupted across the table. Several board members shot Julia disdainful looks.
"So that's how it is," Mr. Clifford sneered. "Mrs. Roberts, who would've thought you were this sly?"
Lily allowed herself a small, satisfied smile. Even if a few remained neutral, this was enough.
Julia scoffed. As expected of a she-devil. Quick on the counter.
"So you're saying," Julia said calmly, pointing at James, "that he somehow obtained a highly confidential document you supposedly kept hidden, analyzed it, and fed me a critique just so I could put on a performance for all of you?"
Her gaze swept across the room before landing on Lily.
"Lily," she continued coolly, "are you suffering from brain rot? Or is the thought of losing that seat finally making you stupid?"
Lily's face burned red. If she admitted the documents had leaked, the board would question her competence immediately.
"Then how," Lily pressed, forcing composure, "did you criticize it without properly reading it?"
Julia yawned, utterly bored.
"I guessed," she replied flatly. "Mediocre minds tend to produce predictable ideas."
Mr. Clifford slammed his hand down. "Mrs. Julia, you make it sound as though you're superior to Lily, when she's the one who saved this company from collapse!"
Julia's eyes sharpened.
"I remember very clearly," she said coldly, "employing someone to manage the company while I was grieving my father's death."
Her voice dropped.
"If that person failed, how exactly does that become my fault?"
Silence followed.
"Mrs. Lily must honor her agreement," Mr. Joe said firmly. "She was the one who proposed turning Mrs. Roberts into a puppet."
"I second that," a younger board member added, raising his hand hesitantly.
At that point, agreement or disagreement no longer mattered.
Julia straightened.
"Lily Kenneth," she declared, her voice absolute, "you are hereby dismissed as Acting CEO. You will return to your former position as Marketing Director."
She paused.
"And effective immediately, you are on probation."
Lily's vision blurred.
She had been one step away—from winning everything.
Her hands clenched beneath the table as she forced herself to calm down.
It's fine, she reassured herself darkly. When the company starts to fall apart, they'll need me again.
"Mrs. Julia," Mr. Clifford said stiffly, clearly unhappy, "do you have a better proposal?"
"Yes," Julia replied calmly.
She leaned forward slightly.
"I don't have a formal document prepared, so I'll explain. Please bear with me."
The room stilled.
"We will launch our product differently," she began. "Our advertisements won't chase the masses. Instead, they will announce the existence of Aurexx gadget,nothing more."
She paused deliberately.
"Our true market will be the one percent of the one percent."
Murmurs spread.
"The price will reflect quality," Julia continued. "It will be expensive—intentionally so. Those desperate to belong will stretch themselves thin to obtain it."
Her eyes gleamed.
"We won't just sell a gadget. We'll sell status."
She straightened.
"With this, we won't merely gain loyal customers—we'll define the standard. One the rest of the market will struggle to follow."
Her lips curved faintly.
"And that," she finished, "is how Aurexx becomes untouchable."